“We make music for heads” is something TV Star just started saying one day, until it became their tagline. “The phrase just kind of materialized, not even from a specific thing or person,” says guitarist Che Hise-Gattone. “Heads,” of course, refers to the band’s abundance of musical references, ranging from ’90s psych rock and Britpop to alt-country and jazz. A music obsessive could perhaps identify that the band name itself comes from a Butthole Surfers song. Or, that their swirling guitars and vocal harmonies take inspiration from bands like Lush and the Stone Roses. However, being a music fan isn’t essential to enjoying their music. “Heads” can also be read literally: they make music for living beings. Their lyrics are profoundly human and rooted in life experiences, as deep as the sunflowers that bloom on the cover of their debut album, Music for Heads (Father/Daughter Records).
When I talked to three of the five band members ahead of their debut release and coinciding album-release show—Che Hise-Gattone, vocalist Ashlyn Nagel, and guitarist Bryan Coats (bassist Mark Palm and drummer Tucker Devault were unable to join)—our conversation got painfully and refreshingly real. Nagel, who works for Seattle Public Schools as an itinerant teacher, called into the interview from their lunch break—a reminder that most musicians maintain full-time jobs while pursuing their passions.
Can you tell me a bit about the formation of the band? How did you meet?
Bryan: It started with Che and me. We had already attempted starting a couple of bands with varying degrees of success. I typically play drums, and have for a long time, and Che knew that I wanted to play guitar and write some songs. He reached out, and that was sort of the first genesis of it. Then, we knew we wanted a vocalist, and Che knew Ashlyn.
Che: Ash and I have known each other for a long time through playing music. I had asked on my Instagram story if I knew anyone who had “the voice of an angel,” and Ash responded with “I do!” [laughs]. I had recently seen them front an Ozzy Osbourne cover band at Halloween, so I knew they had the sauce.
Ashlyn: I was in a few bands in my late teens and early 20s, varying from punk to shoegaze to alt-country. I also have training in vocal jazz. Tucker and Mark were later additions to the band, but they really made it what it is today.
I know that you got your name from the Butthole Surfers song “TV Star.” What made you choose that song?
Che: The real story is that we were in my living room, desperately trying to think of a band name, and resorted to pulling tapes from my collection to scan song titles. Electriclarryland is one of my favorite albums of all time. I pulled it out and was like, “How about TV Star?” It sounded catchy, and it hadn’t been taken by another band yet. It was a happy accident that it’s musically aligned.
How did you land on the album title Music for Heads?
Che: The phrase just kind of materialized, not even from a specific thing or person. We had been saying “we play music for heads” for a while. It kind of became our tagline. Then, when it was time to name the LP, I just figured it would be Music for Heads. Everyone agreed. We’re all pretty serious music listeners, and as a band, we are trying to attract serious listeners or people who love all sorts of things, because we have a wide net of influences.
Can you share some of your influences for the record?
Bryan: At first, we leaned heavily into ’90s neo-psych—Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spaceman 3, etc. That’s how Che first sold me on the band. But then, when we were writing the record, we allowed ourselves to branch out into alt-country and Britpop.
Che: At the time of writing the album, I was listening to a lot of Britpop. I don’t think it’s obvious, but it was huge for me when we were writing these tracks. There are references to Blur, the Stone Roses, and Lush, stuff like that.
Ashlyn: In terms of experiences that shaped the record, I was going through a breakup at the time—the end of a 10-year relationship—so I was listening to a lot of very sad music. It didn’t really matter what the genre was, but it ended up being a lot of singer-songwriter and country stuff. Waxahatchee and Kacey Musgraves were big vocal influences. I think that wider net of influences is what made the record so different from stuff that we had released prior.
“Texas Relation” really stuck out to me because it so eloquently captures this nuanced feeling of depletion and depression from being looked past and unconsidered. What inspired this song? What was your process for writing it?
Ashlyn: This song was written as the breakup was happening through the beginning stages of grief. But to me, it’s more about my relationship with men in general. I’m lucky in this band with men who are very good listeners, and even if they’re not listening, they’re open to that criticism. But in general, I really struggle with getting men to listen, as I think many AFABs and femmes do. Oftentimes, I’m having a conversation with someone, and I can see that their thoughts are elsewhere. Like, are you just looking at me, or are you actually listening? And, if you’re not talking over me, are you thinking over me? This song is a reflection of that.
What level of success is TV Star aiming for?
Bryan: There’s been a recurring joke in the band about achieving “medium indie-rock stardom” [laughs], but no more “struggle tours” might be the bar for me.
Ashlyn: Yeah, every time we go on tour, we’re like, “This is our last struggle tour.” Personally, my dream is to tour and be a substitute teacher, because it’s impossible to be totally successful in music nowadays. I would like to have the capacity to work on music in a more dedicated way, and less of a hobby way. That, to me, would be success, but it feels hard to wish for that.
Bryan: Yeah, every time I’m in the studio, I will inevitably say, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could just do this more than once every two years?” It’s very rewarding to be creative for long periods of time. Even touring feels like that. Being able to do more of it is what I would consider success.
What is your strategy for making space for art while working full-time?
Ashlyn: It’s hard. Last year in particular was very difficult. It comes as no surprise that schools are underfunded and understaffed. Last year was particularly bad for my department. It felt like every ounce of free time I had went to the band, but I am grateful to fill my time that way. Also, because I was going through a breakup and transitioning into this new life, I had a lot of extra time—disconnecting from someone like that leaves a lot of holes in your life that you’re not expecting. But, yeah, it’s really hard. I’m very tired a lot of the time. I think the band can tell when I’m having a difficult teaching week. I can’t usually be at practice for very long, but it’s worth it to me. I know that this can’t be a job right now, so it’s a no-brainer.
I like to end with a fun question. What was the first album you ever bought?
Bryan: Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s not a record I’d listen to now—I mean, I’m not against it—but at the time, as an 11-year-old at my mom’s softball game and wanting to be edgy, it was the perfect CD to have in my Discman.
Ashlyn: Mine was an Eiffel 65 CD, you know, that song that goes “I’m blue, da-ba-dee-da-ba-di?” I loved that CD so much. Then one time, I tripped going down the stairs while holding my pink boom box, and the CD shattered.
Che: I was 12, and I bought a copy of Black Flag’s Nervous Breakdown at Toxic Ranch Records in Tucson, Arizona. I had a punk mom, so I was exposed at an early age.
See TV Star with Casual Hex and OHR at the Sunset Tavern on Apr 24, 9 pm, 21+
